Thomas Markle Wants To Be Left Alone After Daughter's Royal Wedding

Thomas Markle says he's still being chased by paparazzi days after his daughter's marriage ... and he can't even go through a drive-thru without getting hounded.

Thomas tells TMZ the pictures of him grabbing a drink Monday were taken right after his friend picked him up from a safe house where he'd been recovering from his emergency heart surgery. Thomas says there were 5 cars filled with paps following them. What's worse, his friend's small kid was in the car.

Thomas says he's being bombarded inside his housing complex, where he needed the help of four security guards Monday to get him safely inside his home.

Thomas says he just wants to be left alone. Thomas tells us, "I never asked for this and my friends never asked for this and photographers, knowing there's a child in the car, have no business chasing it."